The Traitor Prince

By: C. J. Redwine

Narrated by: Christian Barillas

A dark epic fantasy inspired by The Prince and the Pauper and the fairy tale The False Prince, from bestselling author C. J. Redwine. Perfect for fans of the Court of Thorns and Roses series and the Wrath and the Dawn duology, The Traitor Prince is a thrilling new standalone novel in the Ravenspire series.

Javan Najafai, crown prince of Akram, has spent the last ten years at an elite boarding school, far away from his kingdom. But his eagerly awaited return home is cut short when a mysterious impostor takes his place—and no one believes Javan is the true prince.

After barely escaping the impostor’s assassins, Javan is thrown into Maqbara, the kingdom’s most dangerous prison. The only way to gain an audience with the king—and reveal Javan’s identity—is to fight in Maqbara’s yearly tournament. But winning is much harder than acing competitions at school, and soon Javan finds himself beset not just by the terrifying creatures in the arena but also by a band of prisoners allied against him, and even by the warden herself.

The only person who can help him is Sajda, who has been enslaved by Maqbara’s warden since she was a child, and whose guarded demeanor and powerful right hook keep the prisoners in check. Working with Sajda might be the only way Javan can escape alive—but she has dangerous secrets.

Together, Javan and Sajda have to outwit the vicious warden, outfight deadly creatures, and outlast the murderous prisoners intent on killing Javan. If they fail, they’ll be trapped in Maqbara for good—and the secret Sajda’s been hiding will bury them both.

Tournament and tournament

I am generally not a fan of the overdone trope of teenage students who are 6000% invested in being the best and winning the big excessively dangerous tournament, so when this book started out that way I was a bit disappointed. But the story moved on and I thought that was done…. only to find the main character right back in an even more dangerous tournament and once again determined to win. I did enjoy the character development and the smooth flow to the ending, and I appreciated that the battle scenes were not excessively described or gory. I also liked that it was set in a religious desert country but did not relegate women to background or subservient roles. There were female antagonists and female heroes who were well written. I did get impatient with how frequently bits of information was repeated. Really, after we have been told something, we’ve got it. We don’t need to be reminded every other chapter.

Exciting!

Do NOT listen to this book if you are driving because you will likely receive a speeding ticket. Great story with building tension. I really enjoy this collection of fairy tale retellings. This one has been my favorite so far.

Soooooo entangling!!!!!

Keeps you wanting more. Loved that it was full of Morals And the hard Decisions to stand by those morals.

the hunger games meets harry potter

Definitely reccomend! Good thoughts on character, power, destiny, and duty. Language that captures the imagination and a story line that pulls you along, no effort required😂

Unlistenable

What could have made this a 4 or 5-star listening experience for you?

Poor story.Really a romance novel. Poorly paced and poorly read.

Has The Traitor Prince turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes

What didn’t you like about Christian Barillas’s performance?

He speaks in a monotone.

You didn’t love this book... but did it have any redeeming qualities?

Some interesting magical ideas that may have deveoped but I doubt it

Any additional comments?

Don't waste your money